Rumors Stir of a PG-13 Rating for Fox’s ‘Deadpool’ Movie

A Deadpool movie has been through production hell for years – they even shot test footage – until now. Twentieth Century Fox’s big announcement last week has had Marvel comics fans celebrating in the streets, but a recent development may put a stop to that ruckus. As rumors pour in that Deadpoolmay be hit with a dreaded PG-13 rating, the hard R rating fans expected based on the infamous anti-hero’s shenanigans may be a lost cause. Learn more about this development after the break.

It has not even been a week since the Deadpool movie was officially green-lit, and already there are rumors of a rocky road ahead. According to the Meet the Movie Press Podcast, there was a conversation between Schmoes Know’s Mark Reilly and the Deadpool director Tim Miller, in which he claims the film was green-lit because the screenplay was drafted with the PG-13 rating in mind:

“They figured out how to make it PG-13. And therefore ‘not lose its soul’ – and that’s a quote – of the script so that they can make it.”

However, writer Rhett Reese has issued a statement on Twitter about this crippling rumor, which could ease the fanboy hate:

Hey, guys, no one knows yet whether Dpool will be R or PG-13. There may not be an announcement for a long while. Hang in!

A PG-13 rating could pose a few problems for Deadpool. The most obvious being, how will the “Merc with a Mouth” have a mouth in a PG-13 movie? With a little creativity, it could work, but at what cost? Comic book fans will tell you that Deadpool isn’t the only comic series with an incredibly adult subject matter. For instance, the Iron Man films are based on comics whose contents are wrought with sex, alcoholism, and violence. However, the films managed to minimize any gratuitous violence, sex, and hardly make any mention of Tony Stark’s crippling alcoholism; a mainstay of the comics.

Despite all three movies being PG-13, the Iron Man franchise has grossed over one billion dollars worldwide. Moreover, the basis of the Deadpool character is that he is comical, reckless, and immature. It would not be a stretch to have his film persona be so sophomoric that constant swearing and blood is not necessary. This poses a challenge for the Deadpool screenwriters, but it certainly is not impossible to manage.

And in keeping with the continuity of the X-Men films, the role of Deadpool will be portrayed by Ryan Reynolds. While Reynolds may not be the most popular choice among Marvel fans for the role of Deadpool, his smarmy and sarcastic demeanor is a rather good fit for the character. Hopefully, this new endeavor will work out better for Reynolds then the critically panned 2011 Green Lantern film. Who knows? Maybe Marvel will be a better venture for Reynolds than DC.